Arctic

NEW YORK -- The loss of sea ice in the Arctic at the end of the 20th century is "unprecedented" in the past 1,450 years in its duration and magnitude, an indication of human-influenced climate change, a study said. So-called greenhouse gases may be contributing to the warming, and trends from the last several decades suggest there may soon be an ice-free Arctic in the summer, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The ice, which melts every summer before cold weather makes it expand again, shrank this year to its second-smallest size since 1979, covering 1.67 million square miles, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

LONDON (AP) -- The Arctic Monkeys' first album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," has become the fastest-selling debut in British chart history, with sales of more than 360,000 copies during its first week on the charts. Figures from the Official UK Charts Co., which compiles all album sales in Britain, show the Sheffield foursome easily smashed the record previously held by pop band Hear'Say. Their "Popstars" album -- the result of a hugely popular reality television show -- sold just over 306,000 copies in a week in March 2001.

Arctic temperatures are heading to Michiana later this week. Temperatures will start to drop Thursday, with Saturday and SundayÂ?s highs expected to be about 13 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. There will be some additional snow this week, too. There is a 30 percent chance of snow today, with a high near 27 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, then clearing, with a low around 15 degrees. Wednesday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 38. Wednesday night will bring a 40 percent chance of snow, with a low around 25. Snow is likely for Thursday and Thursday night, with a high near 33 degrees during the day. Chance of snow is 70 percent.

PLYMOUTH -- It has been said that heroes are born of desperate times. And on Monday, Michele Miller was plenty desperate -- to coax her 1986 Pontiac into life after a couple of hours sitting in subzero wind chills at a Plymouth shopping center. Cue hero Larry Beavis, who entered stage right on the galloping steed of a Ford F-150, armed with a set of jumper cables. "Bet I'm not the only one giving a jump start today," the LaPorte resident said, clamping the cables to the grimy terminals of his Interstate battery.

WASHINGTON (MCT) -- Melting Arctic sea ice presents a wealth of new economic opportunities for the United States, but the nation can't take advantage of them until it joins an international treaty that has languished in the Senate, a panel of military and energy experts told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. At issue is the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, a 1982 pact that every other Arctic nation except the United States has ratified. The treaty has support from business leaders and lawmakers in both parties, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved it overwhelmingly in 2007.

How fast can frostbite occur when it's this cold outside? In less than 30 minutes, given the weather conditions that were in effect throughout Michiana most of the weekend. And those conditions could return in a few days, according to the National Weather Service. After a low reading of minus 3 on Sunday, temperatures are expected to climb back to about 20 degrees today, but more frigid readings will return quickly (see Page C7 for the full forecast). The Indiana Department of Public Health urges people to know the signs of frostbite, as well as hypothermia, and prevent them from occurring.

NILES Arctic expedition to be presented at library Paul Pregont and his dog, Lipton, one of several Polar Huskies that transported Pregont and his wife, Mille Porsild, across Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last winter, will present a program on the expedition at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Niles District Library, 620 E. Main St. Pregont and Porsild, who spend their summers in Sawyer, and four other explorers took 70 days to cover...

LOCAL The day the Lone Eagle's mom visited Commercial flights were in their infancy 78 years ago, so it was unusual the morning of Jan. 1, 1928, when Edwardsburg residents heard an airplane circling the village. On board was a high school chemistry teacher from Detroit by the name of Evangeline Lindbergh, mother of Col. Charles Lindbergh, the so-called Lone Eagle who only a few months before had made the first solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean. B1 'Victory' declared in Buchanan park name A park in Buchanan has generated, perhaps, some of the best childhood memories in town.

Just when Michiana residents think they might have the weather pegged, Mother Nature reaches up her sleeve to pull out the latest surprise. No one knows that better than Herb Teichman, who has been serving the National Weather Service as an independent weather observer for decades. But sometimes, even he gets thrown for a loop, such as when an early-season Arctic blast left the fields and orchards of Tree-Mendus Fruit, his Eau Claire fruit farm, shivering in subfreezing temperatures and a coating of wet snow.

NEW YORK -- The loss of sea ice in the Arctic at the end of the 20th century is "unprecedented" in the past 1,450 years in its duration and magnitude, an indication of human-influenced climate change, a study said. So-called greenhouse gases may be contributing to the warming, and trends from the last several decades suggest there may soon be an ice-free Arctic in the summer, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The ice, which melts every summer before cold weather makes it expand again, shrank this year to its second-smallest size since 1979, covering 1.67 million square miles, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

WASHINGTON (MCT) -- Melting Arctic sea ice presents a wealth of new economic opportunities for the United States, but the nation can't take advantage of them until it joins an international treaty that has languished in the Senate, a panel of military and energy experts told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. At issue is the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, a 1982 pact that every other Arctic nation except the United States has ratified. The treaty has support from business leaders and lawmakers in both parties, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved it overwhelmingly in 2007.

NUUK, Greenland (WP) -- Here, just south of the Arctic Circle, where the sea ice is vanishing like dew on a July morning, the temperature isn't the only thing that's heating up. Across the region, a warming Arctic is opening up new competition for resources that until recently were out of reach, protected under a thick layer of ice. As glaciers defrost and ice floes diminish, the North is being viewed as a source of not only great wealth but...

On March 24, 1989, an environmental nightmare began when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Twenty-two years later, tens of thousands of gallons of oil still reside under the surface of the sound’s beaches and on the bottom of the sea contaminating marine life and affecting human lives. In recent years, there has been a string of catastrophic new spills: the more-than-200-million-gallon BP oil spill and the more recent spill in Norway’s Arctic waters.

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. (AP) -- Arctic Cat Inc. is voluntarily recalling about 16,500 snowmobiles because of a possible loss of control. The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald reported the recalled snowmobiles are 2010 model Arctic Cats manufactured at the company's Thief River Falls plant. Consumers should immediately stop using those snowmobiles and contact their local Arctic Cat dealer for a free repair. The company says the front lower suspension arm can crack during use, which could lead to loss of control.

WASHINGTON (MCT) -- New observations this year about snow, ice and temperatures support the conclusion that the Arctic is unlikely to return to the conditions known in the 20th century -- and that's likely to affect the weather in the lower 48 United States. That was this year's key message in the annual update of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic report card, released Thursday. The report card is one way that scientists share information about trends they're seeing in the Arctic as a result of the region's warming cycle: Higher air temperatures melt snow and ice, leaving the ocean and land darker, and they then absorb more solar energy, causing more heating and melting.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- The permanent Arctic sea ice that is home to the world's polar bears and usually survives the summer has all but disappeared, a Canadian researcher said Friday. University of Manitoba Arctic researcher David Barber said experts around the world believed the ice was recovering because satellite images showed it expanding, but the thick, multiyear frozen sheets have been replaced by thin ice that cannot support the weight of a polar bear. "Polar bears are being restricted to a small fringe of where this multiyear sea ice is. As we went further and further north, we saw less and less polar bears because this ice wasn't even strong enough for the polar bears to stand on," said Barber, who just returned from an expedition to the Beaufort Sea. The deterioration has far-reaching consequences for the North and its iconic mammal.

In the aftermath of FridayÂ?s ice storm, Michiana is preparing for the arrival of some arctic temperatures. Today should remain relatively mild, with a high near 27 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The big chill will arrive tonight, when snow is likely and temperatures will drop to about 10 degrees, according to forecasters. New snow accumulation of about one inch is expected. On Sunday, there is a 50 percent chance of snow showers. It will be cloudy and cold, with a high near 10 degrees.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More ominous signs Wednesday have scientists saying that a global warming "tipping point" in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September. With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous record, scientists said.

SOUTH BEND Â? Republican congressional candidate Luke Puckett will travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska next month to advocate for oil exploration there. Puckett, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, will travel with four other congressional candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-Ind., who is running for the 9th District seat in southern Indiana. He also will be joined by candidates from Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin.